It’s been a bit of a whirlwind the past several months for Saugus native Todd Tringale. School changes, tough decisions and the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on the start of baseball season. But now, as Tringale and the North Shore Navigators come out of the gate on fire to start the season, things are looking up.
“It’s been a great start and all the guys have been really excited to get back out and play,” said Tringale, who spent time on the Navs late last summer after ending his stellar career on the mound at Saugus High. “Everyone just wants to win, and I think it really helps that we all know each other because most of us are local guys who have competed with each other for years. It’s easy to get along and play together because we all already know each other.”
Tringale — who was named Northeastern Conference MVP last spring as a senior at Saugus after going 8-2 with a 0.63 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 70.1 innings — made five appearances for the Navs last summer after signing late in the year. He posted a 2.38 ERA with 10 strikeouts over his 11.1 innings.
Tringale started his collegiate career at Division I UMass Amherst and put in his winter work there before the pandemic shut things down. After a series of decisions, Tringale announced in April that he has decided to continue his academic and athletic career at Northern Essex Community College, a powerhouse NJCAA baseball program in Haverhill. Now, as he joins up with the Navs for his second season, he’s looking to build up his repertoire even further.
“One of the things I really want to work on is improving my pitch sequencing,” Tringale said. “I feel like I competed well at this level in my limited time last year, so I just want to build on that. This is the place with the best competition right now, so it’s a great place to test myself.”
Tringale has also been working on the fundamentals during the offseason.
“I wanted to work on some mechanical stuff just to help improve and be more consistent,” Tringale said. “Things are feeling a lot smoother now. I’ve also been working a lot on the mental aspect of things.”
As Tringale starts to move into the bulk of the season with the Navs, he’s focusing on smaller goals as he builds up to his bigger goals of being a more consistent pitcher.
“I’m trying to focus on getting quick outs and using our defense because we have a bunch of great defenders behind us,” said Tringale. “I’m also trying to continue working on my breaking ball because we noticed that I wasn’t really using it enough. All in all, I’m just trying to continue to get comfortable competing against some really great players.”
The Navigators are back in action Wednesday evening (5) on the road against the Brockton Rox.